TEXT [Commentary]

black diamond   C.   Future Prosperity for Jerusalem (2:1-5)

1 [*]When I looked again, I saw a man with a measuring line in his hand. 2 “Where are you going?” I asked.

He replied, “I am going to measure Jerusalem, to see how wide and how long it is.”

3 Then the angel who was with me went to meet a second angel who was coming toward him. 4 The other angel said, “Hurry, and say to that young man, ‘Jerusalem will someday be so full of people and livestock that there won’t be room enough for everyone! Many will live outside the city walls. 5 Then I, myself, will be a protective wall of fire around Jerusalem, says the LORD. And I will be the glory inside the city!’”

NOTES

2:1 [5] I looked again. See note on 1:18 above.

man. It is unclear whether this man with a measuring line in his hand is another angel or a human being, although the word “man” (’ish [TH376, ZH408]) suggests a human being.

measuring line. A different word is used for “measuring line” here than is found in 1:16mg. This is the only occurrence of the two-word phrase khebel middah [TH2256A/4060, ZH2475/4500] in the OT. The function of this measuring line appears to be that of a surveyor’s line used to delineate an area rather than the builder’s string (1:16) used in the construction process.

2:2 [6] to measure Jerusalem, to see how wide and how long it is. The infinitive verbal forms in this verse represented by “to measure” and “to see” are ambiguous regarding time and apply to either the then-present dimensions of Jerusalem (so NLT; “it is”) or a future tense idea (“how long and wide it is to be,” so NJPS).

2:4 [8] that young man. The comment is a reference to Zechariah who was in the company of the interpreting angel. The expression may be an indicator of the prophet’s rather “youthful” age.

2:5 [9] wall of fire. This symbolic representation of divine protection calls to mind the horses and chariots of fire that surrounded Elisha when the king of Aram sent troops to capture God’s prophet (2 Kgs 6:17).

I will be. The emphatic construction of the verb “to be” (’ani [TH589, ZH638] + ’ehyeh [TH1961, ZH2118]) may be a direct reference to the revelation of the divine name Yahweh in Exod 3:14. The use of the words “fire” and “glory” (2:5) support the allusion to the Exodus from Egypt (cf. Exod 13:22, 14:20; 40:34).

COMMENTARY [Text]

The third vision injects two new developments in the sequence of Zechariah’s visions. First, the scope of the vision narrows from the cosmos in vision one, to the nations in vision two, and finally to the city of Jerusalem. Second, the prophet moves from the place of an observer on the sidelines to that of a participant in the action of the world of the vision by addressing a question directly to the man with a measuring line (2:2). The vision is another salvation message and consists of two parts: the vision itself (2:1-3) and the oracle of response explaining the meaning of the vision (2:4-6). Baldwin (1972:105) has noted that taken together, the second and third visions portray God as working in appropriate ways to guarantee the protection of his people.

The vision describes a man with a measuring line plotting the length and width of Jerusalem (2:1-2). There is some question as to whether the man with the measuring line is an angel or a human being. Redditt’s comment (1995:58) as to the purpose of the “measuring line” is cogent, since elsewhere the measuring line was a symbol of judgment (cf. the partitioning of Samaria by foreigners [Amos 7:17] and the destruction of Jerusalem [2 Kgs 21:13 mg]). But Zechariah and his accompanying interpreting angel are soon assured by a second angelic being that the measuring line symbolizes blessing, not judgment (2:3-6). Petersen (1984:169) connects “young man” (na‘ar [TH5288, ZH5853]) of 2:4 with the man holding the measuring line (2:1). It seems more likely that the young man referred to is Zechariah the prophet, since the oracle of response would naturally be directed to the one asking the question (2:2).

The oracle of response (2:4-5) makes several important claims, including that Jerusalem will exist without walls, a large number of people and animals will populate the city, the Lord will be a wall of fire around Jerusalem, and the glory of God will reside in the city (cf. Petersen 1984:170-171). All this stood in stark contrast to the city as Zechariah knew it, with the Temple a rubble heap, the city walls in disrepair, and the people opting to live outside the confines of Jerusalem.

The preterist sees the fulfillment of the third vision in the Hebrew repatriation of the city of Jerusalem between the decree of Cyrus (538 BC) and the emigrations led by Ezra and Nehemiah (458–445 BC). The “glory” of God inside the city (2:5) is assumed to be a reference to the completed second Temple. The divine protection metaphorically depicted as a “wall of fire” (2:5) preserved the people of Jerusalem during the interim until the city walls were repaired under the leadership of Nehemiah. Generally, the futurist associates the prosperity and security Zechariah envisions for Jerusalem with the millennial glory of Christ’s thousand-year reign on earth (Rev 20:1-6) or the new Jerusalem coming down from heaven at the re- creation of heaven and earth (Rev 21:1-2).